A typical vehicle has at least one side door to provide access for vehicle occupants to the vehicle's interior. Generally, such side doors are either hinged to swing-out relative to the vehicle body or are configured to slide relative thereto. Such a side door typically has a latch mechanism for maintaining the door in a closed state until access into or egress from the vehicle is required. The door latch mechanism is typically actuated by an outside door handle to gain access to the interior of the vehicle and by an interior door handle to permit the occupant to exit the vehicle interior.
Additionally, vehicles frequently have enclosed cargo areas that are positioned either at the front or at the rear end of the vehicle body. The design of such cargo enclosures typically includes a hinged cargo door, such as a deck-lid or a tailgate for security and convenient access. Generally, similar to latch mechanisms of the side doors, cargo enclosure doors employ latch mechanisms for maintaining the enclosure in a closed state until access thereto is required. In modern vehicles, latch mechanisms for both the side doors and cargo doors are frequently power actuated.